


Be My Headache

by mworadeno



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Fluff, Jaehyungparkian, M/M, Mind reader!Jae, jae's a sophomore and brian's a freshman, just a regular college au with very little mind reading in between
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-01-01 00:58:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18325472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mworadeno/pseuds/mworadeno
Summary: Jae doesn't know when he starts hearing thoughts, not only his own — he doesn't mind those — but other people's as well. Some may call it mind reading but that, Jae thinks, is the biggest understatement of all time.





	1. Prequel

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm back! This has been sitting around in my head for the longest time and I know the world building and fantasy element is far from perfect but I just had to get this out before I get swallowed whole by my assignments and quizzes, yet again.

Jae knows his loud voice and oddly specific brand of humour can fool people into thinking that he basks in the spotlight, thriving on the attention of others. Sure, he enjoys his friends' company but the truth is,  at the end of the day he has always craved a moment of quiet peace, where he can take a breather after being out and about - as unusual as that sounds to most people who barely knows him - even back when he's just a little kid.

 

He was never the kid who wants to stand out. He'd rather just fit in than become the popular kid with way too many eyes following them, or the quiet kid with little to no eyes on them. He likes being in the middle ground where he won't be uncomfortable from the overwhelming attention but also not entirely forgotten from the lack of it. So just imagine how taken aback kid Jae was when he discovered that maybe he's not so cookie-cutter shaped after all.

 

Five years old Jae was watching some cartoons on the tv after having dinner with his noona, happily munching away his third chocolate chip cookie, knowing full well he's not supposed to have them because of his mom’s strict 'one cookie per day' rule. Honestly, he doesn't understand the point of the rule because he'd still brush his teeth twice a day like the good boy he is. He secretly thinks his mum just wants to eat those cookies for herself.

 

Just as he's about to reach for another cookie, he heard the front door opening so he immediately hides the cookie jar under the coffee table, sure his mom won't try to look for it there. He then launches himself into the outstretched arms of his mom, shrieking when they start to spin round and round. Jae plants a sloppy kiss on his mom’s cheek, expecting he'd get one from his mom too, but instead he is now back to standing on the floor, no longer in his mom's warm hug.

 

His mom is fixing him her 'scolding face', completing the look with her hands on her hips. With a stern voice, she starts, “Park Jaehyung," Jae knows he's in great trouble when his mom calls him by his full name like that, "why are there cookie crumbs on your face? I clearly remember you already eating one after breakfast. Explain yourself, young man.”

 

Squirming under his mom’s piercing gaze, he blurts out the secret pact he made with his sister, “Noona says I can eat one more because I finished doing my homework early.”

 

“So you only ate one extra cookie today, right?”

 

Jae wants to say yes, but he knows lying is bad so he quietly mumbles, “No, I ate three more. I'm sorry, mom.”

 

“Three, Jaehyung?! I was ready to let you off if you only ate one extra cookie. But three," tut-tuts her mom disapprovingly, "You do know what happens to greedy kids, don't you? Tell me what happens to them, Jaehyung.”

 

“They'll turn into pigs,” replies Jae with tears in his eyes, suddenly scared out of his mind that he'll grow a curly tail right then and there. "I'm really sorry, mom. I don't wanna be a pig."

 

Seeing the unamused look on her mum, Jae continues tearfully, “Bu- but mommm! Noona says I can eat as many as I want if- if I don't bo- bother her in her room. An- and she says she will still love me even if I turn into an ug-ugly pig.”

 

_Why that little brat! Trying to ruin her brother's teeth just so he'd leave her alone._

 

Jae notices her mum doing that thing again. She'd say something but her mouth doesn't move even the slightest bit.

 

“Nooo momm! Please d- don't yell at noona! Sh- she helped wi- with my ho- homework today! And she let me watch Hey Arnold even though she wanna watch Sailor Moon. Pretty please!”

 

Surprised by the sudden outburst, his mom reassures him, “No, Jaehyung dear. I'm not gonna yell at her. What makes you think so?”

 

“Y- you said the b- br- brat word. You only say that when you're angry.”

 

“What? I didn't say anything, Jaehyung.”

 

_Maybe I shouldn't call her brat so often. Just look at him picking up that word._

 

“Yeah mom, you shouldn't! Noona doesn't like it when you call her a brat.”

 

_Okay, this is getting a little scary. Did he just read my mind?_

 

“Wh- why are you scared, mum? I promise I'll only eat one cookie every day.”

 

At that comment, his mom immediately lunges forward to cup Jae’s cheek. The anger in her eyes before is replaced instantly with worry as she asks him with a panicked voice, “Park Jaehyung, can you hear voices? Do you hear me talking in your head? Do you? Answer me.”

 

_Please say no pleasesaynopleaseplease_

 

“N- no, I do not,” lies Jae hesitantly after seeing the tears pooling in her eyes. Jae doesn't want his mom to cry, especially because of him.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes, I don't hear voices.”

 

“Good, good. Jesus, you had me worried for a second," says his mom under her breath, although Jae can still hear her. He's now convinced he did a good job for lying, seeing how relieved his mom looks now.

 

She lets her grip on his shoulder loosen before ruffling his hair, "Aren't you tired, Jaejae dear? Go on and brush your teeth. I'll tuck you in bed after that, okay?”

 

“Okay,” replies Jae obediently, pausing for a while before he poses the question he's been meaning to ask for a while, ever since he  first heard his mom's silent 'I love you's in his head every night before he went to sleep.

 

“Mom? Can I ask you something?”

 

His mom hums in response.

 

“Is it bad to hear voices in my head?”

 

“Yes, dear. It's very bad.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because then you'll be taken away from home and you won't see me or dad or noona ever again.”

 

Jae doesn't quite understand what 'taken away' means, but the way his mom’s eyes lose their shine while saying it is enough of a clue for Jae to know that he would never bring up what he hears in his head to anyone ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this has magnified my respect for fantasy/magical realism authors out there. It's so difficult to make the story sound not ridiculous let alone believable lol


	2. Inevitable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The early stages of being smitten as narrated by a Park Jaehyung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I completely forgot about this fic for more than 4 months. I'm sorry if there's anyone waiting for an update :((
> 
> Honestly I tried to expand the mechanics of the superpower element but failed miserably lol so this is just a typical college au with a bit of mind reading thrown in. Nevertheless, enjoy! Leave comments and kudos too <3

Jae doesn't know when he starts hearing thoughts, not only his own — he doesn't mind those — but other people's as well. Some may call it mind reading but that, Jae thinks, is the biggest understatement of all time.

 

While reading is generally considered as voluntary — an action fueled by choice, where you do actually have a say in what, when, where, and how to read — it's the complete opposite for his tricky little ability. Think of those mosquitoes that won't stop bothering you when the weather gets even the slightest bit warmer, but instead of pesky mosquitoes it's unwanted voices of others, and instead of a hot summer it's all year long. It's truly a miracle he hasn't gone insane yet.

 

And the worse thing is he has to keep it all to himself. Well technically he can tell anyone, nothing's stopping him, but that's a one-way ticket to the end of his freedom and dreams.  He learned it the hard way when he saw the terror in his mother's eyes after he unknowingly repeated her thoughts  out loud, back when he was five. As years go by, he finally understands what his mother feared for. They live in a world where 'the gifted' (those with exceptional powers) are recruited and rarely ever return back home to train in specialised academies to either become a) nosy superheroes in lousy spandex, or b) crazy assassins for some secret service.

 

Or at least that's the closest thing to normal he's heard of about what would happen to 'the gifted'. This whole superpower thing is kept secret by the authorities and no one really knows how they really function. If he's misinformed, he has no one but the neighbourhood ladies to blame. Although as far as he knows, the little gatherings sometimes joined by his mom after church service every Sunday are actually legit source of news in his small town. So yeah, Jae would never in his life want to end up as either two even if he's offered all the riches in the world.

 

Call him selfish, but all Jae ever wanted was to live a normal, quiet life where the most dramatic thing he's ever done is change his major from political science to music production halfway through his third semester. He would very much like to keep the unnecessary drama of getting entangled in other people's lives as far away as possible. If anything, he's doing the world a favour by not jeopardizing innocent lives when his own life is currently in shambles.

 

Case in point, he's currently in a dilemma where he's tempted to strangle this boy sitting in front of him (whom he's never seen before on campus) due to the boy’s incessant string of thoughts — which is not annoying per se, it's just a continuous pour of words after words after words — rendering him unable to digest whatever it is the professor has been going on about some  white dead pianist for the past hour.

 

Well, to be fair it's not like he tries his best to ignore them because despite his half hearted attempts to tune out the boy's thoughts, he finds himself listening to them again and again. The boy was writing something in his head — _probably lyrics_ , Jae thinks — since there's a vague melody accompanying them about

 

 _fading away_ and

 

 _lasting memories_ and

 

 _loving without regrets_ and

 

 _deep corners of the heart_ and

 

_remembering_

 

He catches himself mindlessly writing the first few verses of the beautiful words down, the only thing stopping him from continuing to do so; his moral compass, knowing full well it's most likely something personal and intimate that shouldn't be written down by a complete stranger. Jae of all people should know better. He knows how strangely vulnerable he feels whenever he had to show his lyrics to someone other than himself.

 

He can't really stop the warmth settling in his chest though, try as he might. The more he listens to the boy's thoughts, the warmer he becomes and he's itching to get out of class because he knows nothing good will come out of _this_ , this blooming warmth he knows too well is the first sign of attraction crossing into dangerous territory. _Seriously Jae_ , he chides himself, _stop falling so easily. How many more heartbreaks do you have to go through?_

 

As soon as the class is over, he practically makes a dash for the door to put as much distance between him and the boy, before he heard someone calling his name, an unfamiliar voice at that. The tingling in his stomach intensifies.

 

“Park Jaehyung?”

 

_Dammit._

 

He turns around and sends a silent prayer of _please please don't be pretty I can't fall for his face too_ , head hanging low. Slowly, he lifts his head up, eyes noting the dark overcoat and turtleneck, a far cry from his flimsy hoodie and flannel. As soon as his eyes settles on the boy's face, he needs to remind himself to not groan out loud because o _f freaking course his face has to be beautiful too I'm so, so doomed._

 

_Oh god he's so cute woah_

 

Okay, so apparently he's not the only one pleased with the sight in front of him as he registers the boy's deep speaking voice in his head instead of the indistinct one he heard during class.

 

He doesn't really have the time to blush or do anything else as stupid as the boy clears his throat, “Uh, you left your notes? I saw your name on it.”

 

“Oh thanks, didn't notice that,” says Jae, making a grab for the notes in the boy's hand.

 

To his surprise, the boy pulls his hand back a little just so the notes are out of Jae's reach, and holds out his other hand instead, introducing himself, “I'm Brian by the way, Kang Brian.”

 

Okay, Jae's slightly annoyed now, _why is this kid holding his notes hostage?_

 

Realising he's probably staring and still has yet to respond, he shakes the outstretched hand and politely replies, “Um, okay Brian, nice to meet you. I'm kinda in a rush. Maybe I'll talk to you later?”

 

Noticing he's still holding on to the notes, Brian lightly shoves them in Jae's hands. Jae hears Brian's voice turning ever so softly in his head.

 

_He looks like he’s busy though, should I just ask him later?_

 

But because his flight mode is apparently still very much active he decides to flee again after yelling a "Thanks again, bro!"

 

Jae didn't manage to go farther than the end of the hallway though, despite his long legs because suddenly Brian is in front of him, slightly panting to catch his breath.  _Damn he's fast, it's been a while since anyone is able to outrun me._

 

“Wait- please- just a second,” Brian manages to wheeze out in between breaths. “I promise you, I'm not some weirdo.”

 

Jae doesn't say anything in return, but he also doesn't run away so Brian takes that as a sign he could continue.

 

“I was told to look for, I quote the admin staff, 'a friendly sophomore from music production called Park Jaehyung' if I ever needed any assistance. Please tell me you're the one because I can't afford to get lost for the third time today.”

 

A look of realisation crosses Jae's face as he recalls the favour Professor Hong asked for in return of letting him off the hook for submitting his assignment five minutes late earlier this week. Jae has no other excuse now, so he might as well help the poor boy out.

 

“Ah, you must be the new freshman. Late because of visa issues, right? You need help?” Jae prods.

 

“Yeah, you see, I have a composition class in a couple of hours but I don't know where _this_ is?” asks Brian while pointing at the timetable on his phone.

 

“Would you look at that! We have the same class again,” exclaims Jae. “How about I show you around the campus for a while and then we can head to class together?”

 

“I'd love that! Oh, wait. I thought you were heading somewhere though?”

 

Jae fumbles for a reply and settles on the first thing that comes to mind, “Ah, yes. My daily morning jog, gotta keep the vitamin Ds in check, you know. Guess I'll just have to skip it today.”

 

He cringes at how utterly ridiculous it sounds  considering it's almost noon and anyone who's jogging at this time of the day is probably looking for ways to die of heat stroke. Even Brian doesn't seem convinced but he doesn't hear any protest from the younger except the skeptical voice in his head.

 

_That sounds fake but okay._

 

Although to Jae, at this point anything is better than saying something like _Oh, sorry. I was running away from you because I heard your thoughts and I think I'm falling for you and your beautiful lyrics._ He's just thankful Brian doesn't question it any further.

 

They spend the rest of the day together and Jae feels himself slowly relaxing around Brian. He tries his best to ignore the stupid flutter in his chest whenever Brian ever so slightly smile or laugh at him. He thinks he's doing a good job at it.

 

He shows Brian all the shortcuts in their vast campus that'll cut some time on walking, the cool places to hang out during short breaks between classes, and even the small bakery just outside their campus that Jae insists is magically hidden from the outside world given how it's never crowded despite serving the best pastries he's ever tasted. Brian readily agrees to that after sharing a plate of baklava with Jae, which he deems is too good to be true.

 

After their visit to the bakery, they sit next to each other in class, where Jae needs to once again stop himself from writing down the lyrics forming in Brian's head every time the latter so much as lose focus. Brian just nods and smiles every time Jae pokes at his side to gently ask, “You still here, Brian?” because unlike the previous class on western music history, he actually thinks this composition class is way too important to be missed.

 

They found themselves reluctant to part ways even after Brian unnecessarily offered to walk him back to the dormitories. Jae doesn't know whether the fact that Brian lives out of campus is a blessing or a torture, because on one hand there's less possibility of bumping into him and on the other hand he thinks that'll just build his excitement to meet Brian at class. For now, he'll settle for the former.

 

Once they're in front of the elevator, Brian breaks the comfortable silence, "So I guess I'll see you around?"

 

"Yeah. We have a few classes together, so I guess I'm stuck with you now," jokes Jae lightheartedly.

 

Brian doesn't quip back a witty response as Jae expected, instead he tentatively asks, "If you don't mind, can I hang out at your place sometimes? My housemate always has someone over and I'd really like to save the last bits of innocence I have by not walking in on them doing the nasty, you know?"

 

_Ugh, I must've sounded so desperate._

 

Jae chuckles a little at the younger's thought, before answering, "Of course, man. Anything to preserve your innocence. You know where to find me."

 

Brian lights up at that and all but tackles Jae into a bear hug, almost sending them both to the ground if not for the wall behind them. Jae hears Brian whisper shouting in his ears a string of "Thank you"s, but the only thing that's occupying his mind right now is the  tingle in his body and the quiet little voice of the younger prodding his mind.

 

_How did I get so lucky to meet someone as wonderful and beautiful as you on my first day of university?_

 

Jae tries to tone down the wide grin trying to split his face, but he abandons the effort the moment he sees Brian looking like he just won the lottery, all crescent eyes and scrunched nose.

 

Jae thinks he might as well just abort his 'no dating in the first two years of university' long withstanding rule after all. It's nearing two years anyway and he thinks he wouldn't mind the constant headache he'd have from Brian's lyrics writing from here on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, the lyrics refers to Day6's I'll Remember by the way! I wish I could write more for this fic but this is all I've got XD


End file.
